Journal of Research and Didactics in Geography (J-READING), 1, 4, June, 2015, pp. 55-66
DOI: 10.4458/5196-06
Satellite images and teaching of Geography
Javier Martínez-Vegaa, Marta Gallardob, Pilar Echavarríaa
a
Institute of Economics, Geography and Demography, Spanish National Research Council (IEGD-CSIC),
Madrid, Spain
b
Department of Geography, Concepción University, Concepción, Chile
Email: [email protected]
Received: October 2014 – Accepted: January 2015
Abstract
Satellite images can be very useful for teaching Geography at all levels. We describe their advantages over
other traditional sources of information on observation of the Earth, and present the Remote Sensing and
Environment teaching guide, a resource available on the Internet. This can be complemented by other
resources – videos and image repositories – to facilitate the teaching of Geography. Two examples are
given to illustrate how satellite images can be used in classrooms to explain urban processes. One is
explained on a global scale. The other is a research study that uses a number of thematic maps based on
satellite images to illustrate how land use has changed in the region of Madrid (Spain) over recent decades.
Using a modeller based on neural networks, the land use scenario in the region of Madrid in 2025 is
simulated. This graphic and cartographic material can be used by teachers to explain urban processes both
globally and regionally. Processes that have already taken place can be discussed and related to
environmental impacts. It is also possible to predict what might happen in the future if current trends
continue. The aim is to involve students in order to increase their environmental awareness and encourage
them to participate in the search for solutions to territorial problems.
Keywords: Satellite Images, Geography, Teaching Resources, Land Use and Land Cover Maps, Changes in
Land Use, Future Scenarios
1. Introduction
Previous studies (Chicharro and MartínezVega, 1992; Martínez-Vega, 1997; MartínezVega et al., 2011) have discussed the usefulness
of satellite images for teaching Geography, from
the most basic levels to graduate and postgraduate levels.
These sources of geographical information
offer a number of advantages over other more
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classic sources, including the following.
1. They give a global view so that phenomena
affecting the whole planet can be appreciated
(general circulation of the atmosphere,
marine currents, ecosystem distribution),
differentiating phenomena that are distributed
latitudinally, following a pattern of zonality,
from those that are influenced by factors that
disrupt the zonality.
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Javier Martínez-Vega, Marta Gallardo, Pilar Echavarría
2. Multispectral and hyperspectral sensors
provide information on regions that are not
visible in the spectrum. It is thus possible to
obtain global information on average ocean
temperatures, helping to explain marine
currents. It is also possible to map the
burned areas because of the unequal spectral
response in the wavelength near-infrared.
example of each class and giving the result of
the photointerpretation. The aim of this guide
was that it should serve as a reference for all
those working on the project, especially for the
photo interpreters and for those responsible for
national land cover cartographic series who
could apply or replicate this methodology in
their countries.
3. They allow for multi-scale observation of
the territory, from local to global scale,
because of different satellite orbits,
observation heights, fields of vision and
spatial resolution.
There is now a land use and land cover
cartographic series for the whole of the
European Union (EU), drawn up at different
times (1990, 2000 and 2006). This is a very
useful tool for explaining and illustrating the
changes that have taken place, especially in the
most dynamic parts of the European territory. As
we shall see below, this series of satellite images
is a valuable source of geographical information
for researchers who are working on the
simulation of future scenarios on different
scales: regional, national and continental.
4. Data acquisition frequency allows multitemporal observations. It is possible to
monitor both dynamic processes that take
place very fast on Earth, such as
meteorological phenomena, and processes
taking place over years such as deforestation
and the shifting of the agricultural frontier.
5. Homogeneity of lighting conditions during
the recording of images. Satellite images are
recorded in a short time and, in the case of
sun synchronous satellites, at a similar pass
time, so that the acquisition conditions
(time, height of the sun over the horizon,
azimuth) are the same. This quality makes it
easier to interpret satellite images than aerial
photographs.
6. Other advantages include the digital format
in which space information is usually
recorded, making it easy to connect with
other data in GIS (Geographical Information
Systems). Also, this format makes it easier
to receive images almost in real time, so that
emergency managers can receive strategic
information to mitigate the consequences of
catastrophes caused by certain natural risks.
Many tutorials exist, but we shall stress only
four.
The European Communities (1993) brought
out a technical guide to the CORINE-Land
Cover project. This produced, in a harmonised
way, land use and land cover maps on a scale
1:100,000, with a common hierarchical legend
based on the visual interpretation of Landsat or
Spot images. The second part of the guide
explains the 44 categories at level 3 of the
legend. A satellite image is provided showing an
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National Geographic (1998) published a very
interesting world atlas based on images captured
by different sensors and on mosaics built up
from multiple satellite images. After the
introduction explaining the technology used by
Earth observation systems, the atlas covers the
global phenomena (surface temperature of the
sea and
emerged land masses, sea level
variability, differences between day and nighttime temperatures, precipitation, depth of
terrestrial and marine ice masses, distribution
and primary productivity of ecosystems, wind
speeds, topography and bathymetry of the Earth,
plate tectonics, hurricanes and other atmospheric
phenomena) that are so worrying for public
opinion, in the context of studies on global
change. There is then a thematic review showing
geo-forms, forces of nature, human impacts and
a catalogue of cities by continent.
One of the earliest and best-known tutorials,
which included a broad repertoire of Landsat
satellite images, was the work by Short (1982). An
updated version of this tutorial can be consulted at
Short (2010). In this recent digital publication, the
author suggests how Landsat images can be used
to support a variety of geographical practices at
different academic levels by illustrating several
themes. It contains notes for both teachers and
students. Users can download a computer program
for digitally handling satellite images.
Italian Association of Geography Teachers
Javier Martínez-Vega, Marta Gallardo, Pilar Echavarría
The Canada Centre for Remote Sensing
(CCRS, 2009) also offers an on-line tutorial that
includes a large number of satellite images with
examples and exercises to aid learning on
subjects related to Geography and Earth
Sciences.
The purpose of this study is to reflect on the
usefulness of satellite images for teaching
Geography and other related disciplines such as
Earth Sciences and Environmental Sciences. It
presents the Remote Sensing and Environment
teaching guide, a tutorial designed for this
purpose. Two examples will also be given to
illustrate the process of urbanisation and the
urban network on two scales – a global scale for
the world as a whole and a regional scale
focusing on the region of Madrid.
2. Remote Sensing and Environment
Teaching Guide
This work (Martínez-Vega and Martín, 2010)
is another recent tutorial on satellite images,
sponsored by the Spanish Remote Sensing
Association.
The aims of this guide are the following.
1. To make known the physical principles of
Remote Sensing and its advantages over other
systems for observing the Earth and, above all,
to provide a selection of environmental
applications of Remote Sensing.
2. To provide good-quality visual teaching
materials for teachers at university and
secondary levels to explain the geographical
phenomena and environmental processes that
are of concern to society.
3. To facilitate access to other teaching
resources, especially other images and space
photographs available on the image servers
consulted.
4. To make students and readers of the guide
aware of the need to preserve the Environment
and to adopt practices to respect it.
This tutorial has been created as a product
within the National Cartographic Plan1. It is
1
The Spanish National Cartographic Plan (20132016), approved in December 2013 by the
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offered as an audiovisual pack on Remote
Sensing and the Environment, comprising this
tutorial and an introductory video (UNED, 2011)
which are complementary and freely accessible
on the Internet. It is linked to subject g in Annex
III of the LISIGE2 and the INSPIRE Directive:
Didactics, which covers physical and political
aspects and any other information for teaching
purposes.
As stated above, the guide is designed mainly
for secondary school and university teachers on
subjects related to Geography, Earth Sciences
and Environmental Science. It also addresses the
general public, that is, anyone interested in
knowing more about techniques and tools for
observing the Earth, the Environment, natural
risks and the human footprint on the ecosystems
of our planet.
This is a teaching resource containing
extensive visual information:
• 241 vertical, oblique and three-dimensional
images obtained from sun synchronous and
geostationary satellites, manned platforms
and the International Space Station;
• 42 field photos;
• 14 maps;
• 12 figures or sketches.
The latter support and complement the view
obtained from space. The former illustrate
various natural phenomena and risks and the
various human impacts on natural resources. The
images come from the websites of the most
relevant space agencies (NASA, ESA, DLR,
CNES, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana, NSPO),
consortia of private satellite image distribution
enterprises (Spot Image, Digital Globe, GeoEye,
Deimos) and other environmental, cooperation
and research agencies (UNEP, USGS, NOAA,
NCGIA, ITOPF).
The use of computers, digital whiteboards
and video projectors in classrooms makes it
easier to transmit knowledge and provide access
to teaching resources.
Government, aims to share infrastructure, resources
and geographic and cartographic information
(topographic and thematic).
2
LISIGE is the acronym for Act 14/2010 on Spanish
Infrastructure and Geographic Information Services
(Official State Bulletin, nº 163, pp. 59628-59652).
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Javier Martínez-Vega, Marta Gallardo, Pilar Echavarría
The tutorial has 7 chapters. The first contains
a brief introduction. The second summarises the
history of Remote Sensing. The third gives basic
notions of Remote Sensing so that readers can
understand the content of the guide. The fourth
presents the advantages of spatial Remote
Sensing as opposed to other traditional systems
for observing the Earth. These introductory
chapters complement the above-mentioned
video (UNED, 2011).
The fifth chapter covers various phenomena
and natural risks as seen from space (hurricanes,
volcanoes, floods, earthquakes, landslides,
sandstorms, landforms, rivers and water masses,
glaciers). The sixth chapter analyses human
activities (land cover models, urbanisation
processes, mining activities). It also covers the
human imprint on the land and on the
Environment (deforestation, forest fires,
draining of wetlands, eutrophication of water
masses, oil spills at sea). A number of very
significant impacts are singled out and their
environmental consequences are discussed.
The last section lists manuals and tutorials on
Remote Sensing so that the readers, students and
teachers using the guide can expand their
knowledge on this technique for observing the
Earth.
The contents of this teaching guide are useful
for teaching Geography.
In secondary education in Spain, satellite
images and geological photography are used to
show singular geographical and geological
elements (impact craters, volcanic craters),
geomorphological phenomena (rivers, coasts),
meteorological phenomena. Some images allow
for comparative analysis of evolution over time
of ecosystems (glaciers) and certain processes
(desertification, fires).
Other Spanish-speaking countries (Mexico,
Argentina) also use satellite images to teach
Geography in secondary education. These are
considered useful tools for giving a panoramic
view of the Earth’s surface. The aim is that
students should learn to use satellite images
together with other geographical information in
order to understand territory on a local, regional,
national and global scale.
In higher secondary education (Bachillerato),
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this tutorial could be useful for teachers of Earth
and Environmental Science (2nd year). The
examples that illustrate the guide can be used as
teaching resources, at least for topics related to the
main environmental problems – spatial remote
sensing, radiometry, mineral deposits, impact of
mining, volcanic risks, seismic risks, flooding
risks, gravitational risks, general circulation of the
atmosphere, risk situations caused by rainfall,
atmospheric pollution, water contamination, water
management, land and water ecosystems, impacts
of agricultural and cattle-rearing, forest
management, protected areas and the impact of
erosion.
The tutorial might also be useful for teaching
Geography (2nd year) to explain matters related to
the relief of Spain, climate zones, biogeographic
regions, hydrographic network and basins, the
urbanisation process and urban networks,
agricultural landscapes and the relation between
Geography and the Environment.
University entrance tests usually include
questions based on satellite images and aerial
orthophotographs.
The contents of this tutorial are also related to
several subjects covered in university degree
courses on Geography.
For example, based on the syllabus for the
Degree in Geography and Land Planning of the
Universidad Complutense de Madrid, the images
in this guide and in the repositories listed in it can
be used to explain a wide range of subjects
including Territory and the Environment,
Climatology (1st year), Geomorphology and
Hydrogeography, European Geography, Urban
Geography, Rural Geography, Biogeography,
Spanish Geography, Cartography and Representation Techniques (2nd year), Remote Sensing
and Photointerpretation, Geographic Information
Systems, Environmental Planning (3rd year) and
Land Planning (4th year) or Regional Geography of
Madrid (optional).
In the similar degree course offered by the
University of Zaragoza (Spain), it would be
useful to use multitemporal images illustrating
the changes taking place in the world’s large
metropolitan areas and conurbations for the
subject of Urban Processes and land organisation (2nd semester).
Italian Association of Geography Teachers
Javier Martínez-Vega, Marta Gallardo, Pilar Echavarría
In the traditional subjects of Regional
Geography and even in the descriptive subjects of
European Geography and World Geography, the
visual resources in this tutorial could be of use to
the teacher when explaining topics of interest
related to the main morphostructural units of relief,
the atmospheric factors of climate (air masses,
anticyclones and depressions), natural landscapes,
the coastline and hydrographic network, urban
networks, land use and land cover, agricultural
landscapes and forests, etc.
Finally, satellite images are used regularly as
a source of information to develop thematic
mapping of land use and land cover in the
compulsory subject of Visual Analysis in the
Master courses on Geographic Information
Technologies at the Spanish universities of
Alcalá and Zaragoza and the Ecuadorian
university of Azuay.
The teaching guide in Remote Sensing and
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the Environment is available in pdf format on
various websites. Access is free. Originally, it
was located on the website of the Spanish
Remote Sensing Association and in the
institutional repository of the Spanish National
Research Council (Digital CSIC) but recently it
has been placed on the Research Gate platform.
The statistics on these repositories and data on
distribution of two complementary editions in
CD format produced by the CSIC and Ibercaja
show that since 2010 it has been downloaded
4,705 times (Figure 1). Downloads from the
Spanish Remote Sensing Association’s website
have not been taken into account because there
is no access to such statistics.
75% of downloads of the tutorial took place
in Spain and Latin America. It is significant that
8% of downloads were in the United States. This
is perhaps because of the role of Spanish as a
second language there.
Figure 1. Downloads of the teaching guide on Remote Sensing and the Environment between 2010 and 2014.
The abscissa axis is shown on a logarithmic scale.
Source: CSIC, Ibercaja and Research Gate.
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Javier Martínez-Vega, Marta Gallardo, Pilar Echavarría
3. First example of application
4. Second example of application
We would like to give an example for
Geography teachers of how it can be used on a
global scale. Figure 2 shows a striking mosaic of
multitemporal images from the DMSP satellite
(Defence Meteorological Satellite Program)
obtained by the OLS sensor (Operational
Linescan System). Because of its high
radiometric sensitivity, even at night, scientists
were quick to realise how useful it could be for
generating a map to locate permanent lights on
Earth. The lit-up areas correspond to the most
urbanised areas although these are not
necessarily the most highly-populated.
A study is presented below that can be used
by Geography teachers to explain, on a regional
scale, the intense changes taking place in land
use and land cover in the functional regions
organised by a large metropolis such as Madrid.
Satellite images, GIS and simulators provide
geographical information and tools for
analysing, both visually and cartographically,
the changes that have taken place and those that
can be expected over coming decades. This
information is very useful when decisions have
to be taken by land planners and for designing a
territorial strategy. This is a clear example of the
connection between research and teaching.
This mosaic shows not only the distribution
of the human population in the world but also
patterns of human occupation on the continents.
It is very useful for explaining patterns of
urbanisation in the world and imbalances in the
urban network on a global scale.
Regarding human occupation of territories,
there is a clear preference for coastal as opposed
to inland areas of continents and for the strip
between parallels 35º and 70º in each hemisphere.
There also seems to be a relation between lighting
and socio-economic development, because it is
not only the developed countries of Europe and
America that are very well-lit but also the highlypopulated emerging countries in South-East Asia.
There is also a relation between the “light
lines” and the main communication networks.
The latter have sometimes determined or guided
urban development along them. In other cases,
they are the result of urbanisation. Examples can
be seen in Africa, along the river Nile, and in the
United States, where parallel light lines cross the
Mid-West towards Denver and the Rocky
Mountains. In Russia, light radii converge in
Moscow, indicating centralised settlement. In
Central Asia, the Trans-Siberian track creates a
stream of light, another example of planned
expansion. In the southern hemisphere, light
corresponds to ports and the colonial past.
In comparison with urbanised areas, there are
also vast uninhabited or weakly occupied
spaces: deserts, polar areas and large tropical
and boreal forests, all of which are dark. This is
the anecúmene.
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The region of Madrid is located in the centre
of Spain (Figure 3). It has a surface area of
8,026 km2 and a population of 6,448,272
inhabitants. This is the highest population
density in Spain (803 inhabitants/km2). Since the
early 1990s, there has been marked demographic
growth (+21%) and intense expansion of urban,
industrial and commercial areas and of
infrastructure (Plata Rocha et al., 2010).
Infrastructure has been key in structuring the
territory. It has led to widespread improvement
in accessibility throughout the region. The
region’s agricultural land, forests and Protected
Areas are subject to great urban, industrial and
recreational pressures which pose a threat to
their extension and their value (RodríguezRodríguez and Martínez-Vega, 2013). This
process of urban sprawl is representative of the
far-reaching changes that have taken place in
Mediterranean metropolitan regions.
Gallardo (2013, pp. 141-260) has studied
changing land use in the region of Madrid over
four time periods that represent recent decades.
She has drawn up and harmonised, using a
common legend and scale, the 1982 regional
map of vegetation and land use and the maps
from the European CORINE-Land Cover
Programme of 1990, 2000 and 2006 (LópezVizoso, 1989; Feranec et al., 2010). The latter
were drawn up using visual analysis of images
from the Landsat and Spot satellites. Figure 4
summarises the land use and land cover map for
2006. A legend at an intermediate level between
levels 1 and 2 is given to make it easier to read.
Italian Association of Geography Teachers
Javier Martínez-Vega, Marta Gallardo, Pilar Echavarría
Between 1990 and 2006 urban areas are seen
to have grown by 72% and industrial and
commercial areas doubled in size. Forests gained
over 4% of the regional area. Agricultural land,
however, lost 13%.
Subsequently, Gallardo (2013, pp. 261-351)
drew up a future scenario for land use and land
cover for 2025. This is a spatially explicit and
dynamic model in raster format. It uses the Land
Change Modeler (LCM) that is based on a
neural network method and on the spatial and
time trends for land use in the region recorded
between 1990 and 2006. It relates the
explanatory variables with changes in land use
and land cover. The amount of change is
modelled using a Markov chain analysis. The
dependent variables are simplified land use and
cover (urban, industrial and commercial, arable
land, heterogeneous agriculture, forest, shrub
and pastures, others).
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Two independent groups of variables were
considered: biophysical (altitude, slope, lithology
and distance from rivers and reservoirs), and
socio-economic (mainly accessibility measured in
terms of distance and time to travel to towns,
airports, motorways and main roads and the
railway network). Verburg et al. (2004) considered
that accessibility is the most explanatory and
determinant factor for changes in land use and land
cover. Between 1990 and 2006 urban areas are
seen to have grown by 72% and industrial and
commercial areas doubled in size. Forests gained
over 4% of the regional area. Agricultural land,
however, lost 13%. Subsequently, Gallardo
(2013, pp. 261-351) drew up a future scenario for
land use and land cover for 2025. This is a
spatially explicit and dynamic model in raster
format. It uses the Land Change Modeler (LCM)
that is based on a neural network method and on
the spatial and time trends for land use in the
region recorded between 1990 and 2006. It relates
the explanatory variables with changes in land
use and land cover.
Figure 2. Mosaic of multitemporal images of the Earth, registered by the Operational Linescan System (OLS) of
the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellite.
Source: www.visibleearth.nasa.gov.
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Javier Martínez-Vega, Marta Gallardo, Pilar Echavarría
Figure 3. Location map of the region of Madrid.
Source: elaboration of P. Echavarría.
The amount of change is modelled using a
Markov chain analysis. The dependent variables
are simplified land use and cover (urban,
industrial and commercial, arable land,
heterogeneous agriculture, forest, shrub and
pastures, others). Two independent groups of
variables were considered: biophysical (altitude,
slope, lithology and distance from rivers and
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reservoirs), and socio-economic (mainly
accessibility measured in terms of distance and
time to travel to towns, airports, motorways and
main roads and the railway network). Verburg et
al. (2004) considered that accessibility is the
most explanatory and determinant factor for
changes in land use and land cover.
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Javier Martínez-Vega, Marta Gallardo, Pilar Echavarría
63
Figure 4. Land use and land cover map for the region of Madrid in 2006.
Source: elaboration of M. Gallardo and P. Echavarría.
In addition, a number of restrictions that limit
the implementation of certain land uses were taken
into account, such as environmental legislation
(protected areas, water police zones, infrastructure
protection zones, burned areas that cannot be
reclassified for a period of 30 years).
Statistically, between 2006 and 2025, urban
and industrial and commercial areas are each
expected to increase their surface area by 33%, and
forests by just +0.72%. However, arable land is
expected to decrease by -9.35% and general
agricultural land by -0.87%.
Certain factors (neighbouring areas) that may
encourage the location of certain land uses were
also taken into account.
Geographically, figure 5 shows a simulation of
trends and spatial distribution of land uses in the
region of Madrid.
Demand for each land use and land cover is
determined by a transition matrix indicating the
probability of change from one use to another.
This shows the extensive artificialisation of
the region if recent trends continue.
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Urban areas will spread around the metroItalian Association of Geography Teachers
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Javier Martínez-Vega, Marta Gallardo, Pilar Echavarría
politan area, towards the south and south-east,
following the main transport lines. They are
expected to fill the current non-urban interstices.
There is also likely to be scattered growth in the
mountainous areas to the north-west of the region
as a result of increasing numbers of second
homes.
The traditional urban network of the region of
Madrid, which is of a concentric-radial type, is
likely to be reinforced, even though the main
central area is growing and becoming more
compact, with the main radii being located along
the radial motorways.
Industrial and commercial uses will mostly
spread towards the south, south-east and east of
the metropolis following the axes of the A4, A3,
A2 motorways and towards the airport. Both
categories will gain ground from arable land. In
the south-west of the region, agricultural land will
also lose surface area as a result of the
abandonment of marginal lands, which will be
invaded by grasslands and scrub.
teachers anywhere in the world. For use in the
classroom, all that is required is a device for
visualising the images and a connection to the
Internet.
The teaching guide on Remote Sensing and
the Environment can serve as the basis for
enjoyable, visual teaching of Geography, in a
similar way to other teaching initiatives (Sevilla,
2004). It can be used in combination with other
complementary materials, as proposed in the
Spanish National Cartographic Plan: on-line
videos (UNED, 2011), DVD and VHS
(Chuvieco, 1995), repositories of space images
and cartographic repertoires.
In this way it is possible to meet the
objectives laid down in the new European Higher
Education Area (EHEA) regarding more active
teaching methodologies, based on the use of
computer resources in classrooms (Marrón,
2011). Active teaching is necessary to replace the
traditional, deep-rooted, memory-based teaching
of Geography.
In summary, far-reaching changes can be
expected in land use in the form of gains, losses
and interchanges. These processes will have
important implications for the region’s geography.
Land planners must be prepared and must plan to
avoid possible environmental impacts.
The teaching guide presented in this study
may help students and future teachers to achieve
the following basic targets: skills of perception,
orientation, systematization and understanding of
space, the values of environmental and social
commitment and skills in using Information and
Communication Technologies.
5. Discussion
For this to be possible, certain impediments that
still exist in some schools need to be corrected.
Satellite images are undoubtedly a useful tool
for teaching Geography at every stage of
education. As sources, they provide very visual,
up-to-date information that is easy to understand.
The fact that they are dynamic means that they
provide sequences and set of images that illustrate
very
variable
multitemporal
geographic
processes, from those occurring in just a few
hours (meteorology) to those occurring over
decades (deforestation, urban growth). Their
spatial coverage gives multi-scale information.
Geography teachers can investigate or explain
processes occurring on a local scale as well as
other more global phenomena.
In addition, the satellite images available in
the repositories referred to in the guide are freely
accessible.

Little interest on the part of teachers in didactic
innovation.

Incomplete teacher training and lack of
information on new resources and training
possibilities.

Incomplete provision of digital equipment to
support teachers in their work.

Poor Internet connections preventing such online resources from being used in an agile way.

Paper continues to be the dominant support in
classrooms. Paper maps are still used more
than digital maps, aerial orthophotographs,
satellite images or the teaching guides, tutorials
and videos that are available on the Internet.
This is a great advantage for Geography
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Italian Association of Geography Teachers
Javier Martínez-Vega, Marta Gallardo, Pilar Echavarría
6. Conclusions
Today’s teachers and students have at their
disposal a wide range of resources for teaching
and learning Geography. We are convinced that
greater use of such resources in classrooms will
make it easier to achieve the objectives and
skills laid down in syllabuses.
It will also change the way in which Geography is learnt. Learning by rote should be
abandoned and replaced by a more modern
65
method that takes up the advantages of the
teaching resources available on the Internet,
especially satellite images. The new generations
of students will have better skills and will be
trained to take an active part in solving environmental problems in the places where they
live.
In this way, students can be useful collaborators for managers and planners of the
territory.
Figure 5. Land use forecast for 2025 in the region of Madrid.
Source: elaboration of M. Gallardo and P. Echavarría.
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Italian Association of Geography Teachers
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Javier Martínez-Vega, Marta Gallardo, Pilar Echavarría
Acknowledgements
Gallardo, M. was sponsored by a JAE-Predoc grant
(Spanish National Research Council, CSIC). The
Remote Sensing and Environment teaching guide is
an activity that forms part of the National
Environmental Remote Sensing Network (CGL200907983-E/CLI), financed by the Spanish Ministry of
Science and Innovation.
10.
11.
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Remote
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